2012 Domaine Fourrier Vougeot Les Petits Vougeot

Domaine Fourrier is a 22.5-acre estate in the Gevrey-Chambertin appellation of Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. In the mid-20th century this domaine was called Pernot-Fourrier, and it is now run by Jean-Marie Fourrier, who took over from his father Jean-Claude in 1995. Jean-Marie worked for Henri Jayer and Domaine Drouhin in Oregon before returning to the family estate. Since his return the domaine’s wines have earned high praise from wine writers, including Clive Coates, who has written of Jean-Marie: “This young man is a thinker…There are brilliant wines here.” Jean-Claude is considered a rising star in Burgundy and Coates has more recently written that “The Fourrier estate is one of the very best in Burgundy.” The domain has a parcel of Grand Cru Griotte-Chambertin, and Premier Cru parcels in Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Morey-Saint-Denis and Chambolle-Musigny.

Les Petits Vougeots is a 10.5-acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Vougeot appellation in Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. While most of the appellation is the Grand Cru, there are also several Premier Cru vineyards. Les Petits Vougeots is north of the grand cru vineyard and west of the village. Producers with parcels in Les Petits Vougeots are Bertagna, Alain Hudelot-Noellat and Christian Clerget.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.